Christopher M Zimmerman - OurWarHeroes.org

Christopher Michael Zimmerman

Stephenville, Texas

September 20, 2006

Age

Military

Rank

Unit/Location

Marine

SSG

2nd Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force

Camp Lejeune, North Carolina

Killed while conducting combat operations against enemy forces in Al Anbar province, Iraq.

From KEYTV 09/28/06:

Zimmerman Remembered As A 'Marine's Marine'
Image

Gregg Watson
Reporting

(CBS 42) ROUND ROCK The family and friends of Staff Sergeant Christopher Zimmerman remembered him Thursday in a memorial service in Round Rock and at his funeral near Killeen.

He died last week in Iraq while serving his second tour of duty.

Zimmerman grew up in Round Rock. Friends say he was the kind of guy who would give you anything. He ended up giving his life for his country.

At the Texas State Veterans Cemetery, Zimmerman's mother received a Marine escort. Friends and fellow servicemen held American flags in his honor.

Earlier at his memorial service at Dell Diamond's United Heritage Center, he was remembered as a man who loved his family and his country. Some of his buddies called him a Marine's marine.

(© MMVI, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

Christopher Michael Zimmerman, SSG, USMC, 28 years of age, of Austin, Texas was killed on September 20, 2006 while on patrol in Zaidon, Al Anbar Province, Iraq. SSG. Zimmerman was based in Fallujah, Iraq as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. SSG. Zimmerman began his career in the Marines assigned to HMLA-267 then subsequently assigned to HMT-303-MAG-39 3rd Marine Air Wing attached to 13 MEU, at Camp Pendleton, California. After five years at Camp Pendleton, SSG. Zimmerman received an honorable discharge and almost immediately joined a Marine Air Wing Reserve Unit based in Marietta, Georgia with the intention of pursuing a college degree. Civilian life, however, left Chris feeling an emptiness of purpose. The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 cemented within Chris the definite resolve to rejoin the active-duty Marines. Chris' first assignment after re-enlisting was with the 3rd Battalion 6th Marines Weapons Company out of Camp LeJeune, North Carolina. After he served a tour of duty in Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom, he was even more determined to make a difference for all of America by taking a stand against the forces resisting the efforts of a democracy in Iraq. In Chris' words, the most effective way for him to do that was to be "the best of the best", so Chris went on to train and qualify as part of the Marine Special Forces. As a "Recon Brother" of the 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion based at Camp LeJeune, Chris was able to accomplish that goal. Christopher's greatest love was his family. He dearly loved and always protected his sisters and brother. He was a loving son and the greatest source of pride to his parents. He was loved so much in return by his mother, Faith Zimmerman of Austin, Texas, and by his father, Michael W. Zimmerman of Stephenville, Texas, and his sister Sarah and her husband Joe Cannons of Hutto, Texas; his sisters Cheyenne and Kasey Parrish of Austin, Texas; brother Joshua Parrish of Stephenville, Texas; and his stepfather Lance Parrish of Austin, Texas. Chris was a 1996 graduate of McNeil High School in Austin, Texas. He had a way of making and keeping friends. He will always be remembered by the friends he made in his youth that have remained so to this day: Tomas Natal, Nick Hooge (Sgt. USMC), Erik Wurl, Collins Aki, Mike Dunlap, and Jason Poland. A memorial fund has been created in Chris's honor to bring joy into the lives of boys and girls in Williamson County. Donations in his name will be accepted at the Texas DPS Credit Union at 621 W. St John's Ave., Austin, Texas 78752.